Under the Sun - Peter and Arne's South African Wedding by Ian Mitchinson

A first for One Fab Day, we are thrilled to bring you our first ever African wedding! Today's lovebirds said I do in the middle rocky desert landscape and celebrated at the Bushman’s Cave open air theatre.

Good morning all! This is somewhat of a first for One Fab Day, today we are thrilled to bring you Peter and Arne's epic South African wedding, our first ever African wedding! Laid back and rural in an intriguing and amazing way - the African bush so different to our own lush green pastures - today's lovebirds said I do in the middle rocky desert landscape of South Africa and celebrated at the Bushman’s Cave open air theatre. Intrigued yet? Well you should be! The whole day oozes cool, with both bride and groom keeping it low key against an epic desert backdrop (no decor needed with these landscapes!) Throw in some crafty DIY, a pig on a spit, lanterns and fire pits plus musical talent and lots of romance. The man with the camera was our newest One Fab Day partner super creative photographer Ian Mitchinson who captured the day beautifully...

Peter and Arne had a slow burn to start their relationship, which rapidly built up into a huge flame of passion... "We met through my father nearly 8 years after Peter and my father did their first gig together. We were both engaged at the time and didn’t pursue our friendship. The next time we saw each other we both knew that our previous relationships had ended so needless to say we used that as a topic of conversation! We began talking more and more, discovered our many similarities and we were secretly falling in love, very fast"

We went to a rock festival on the South Coast of Mozambique where Peter was performing. He conjured up a wonderful picnic halfway between Ponta Malongane and Ponta de Ouro on the beach. Considering that we travelled to Pretoria separately, due to different flights and access luggage, I was incredibly surprised to see what he had managed to present in his pinic spread . Peter had a beautiful set up with 3 miniature glass jars, one filled with almond liquor, one with mixed nuts and another with custard - all of which are my favourite. There were also two pieces of cloth which represented our different interests, polkadots for me and tartan for him. Peter designed the ring himself after personally buying 8 rubies and 1 diamond from a stone merchant in Gem City Johannesburg. So of course Arne said yes!

Arne strayed away from the traditional bouquet and opted for a larger than life paper flower instead - an unusual choice, but perfectly in tune with the epic landscape the couple chose for their ceremony.

While Peter and the boys had homemade newspaper boutonnieres with satin ribbon detail.

Peter is Mr Cool, laid back and relaxed on the morning of the wedding.

The happy couple met up before the ceremony to have some portraits taken with the talented Ian Mitchinson, giving them time to relax together before it all kicked off...

Peter looks seriously cool in his light linen suit,blue shirt and homemade DIY boutonniere. Both Peter and Arne let their laid back personalities shine in their choice of dress, while the landscape was a stunning backdrop. The couple were then joined by their bridal party for some photographs

As you can see, the setting of Peter and Arne's wedding was breathtaking. The couple didn't just stumble upon the Bushman’s Cave, it has been close to their hearts for many years... " The venue hassentimental value for us both. My father has had an annual festival named after him hosted there for almost ten years. Peter has performed at the venue nearly 20 times. So our respective relations with the venue began long before we met and our love for the owners played a big part."

When it came to planning the wedding lovebirds Peter and Arne took inspiration from the local landscape... "For us it was important to be resourceful and equally creative without compromising the feel we were going for. With the venue being a lot different from the usual wine estate wedding which there seem to be a lot of in South Africa recently, we tried to fit in with the surroundings rather than the other way around. And off course we wanted people to be comfortable and festive at the same time.

The time has come to say I do...

Can you imagine anywhere more epic to celebrate your wedding, check out that landscape!

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Yay, it's official! Now it's tme to party... African style!

As night fell on the Bushman’s Cave, the atmosphere was all romance as the night was lit by lanterns, the burning fires of the BBQ and the orange and red pom poms and decor dotted around the reception - it was magical.

The most important part for the newlyweds was to have their family and friends there to celebrate... Being together with family and friends was the so important for us ,especially those who came from far a field. The people who came from afar my sister and her husband from The Netherlands, my bridesmaid from Australia, other guests fromthe UK and The United Arab Emirates. Johannesburg etc.

Having organised a wedding in such an epic and unusual location, Peter and Arne had to have learned some real pearls of wisdom to share with the rest of us... "It is imperative that you communicate all the time. It’s pointless arguing about things you have not discussed. Also make sure that both parties know exactly what they are responsible for.If a friend or family member offers to help, except it. Its every bride’s right to ask favours from people that cares for her. Surround yourself with positive people and plan. And for the grooms, just be patient. Decide on a budget and stick to it!"

Congratulations to Peter and Arne on their magical South Africa wedding day.

Of course a big thank you to Ian Mitchinson for sharing his work with One Fab Day. To see more of Ian's work pop on over towww.ianmitchinson.com